Ekaterina Semenova
| Ekaterina Semenova | |
|---|---|
 Ekaterina Semenova | |
| Born |
Marguerite-Josephine Weimer 1786 |
| Died | 1849 (aged 62–63) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Actress |
Ekaterina Semenova (1786–1849) was a Russian Empire actress.
Life
Semenova became a student in the Saint Petersburg Theatre School in 1790 where she was instructed by Ivan Dmitrevsky and debuted at the stage in 1797. She eventually became the leading interpreter of plays of William Shakespeare, Jean Racine, Friedrich Schiller and Vladislav Ozerov. She was coached by director Prince Sharkovsky and the poet Nikolay Gnedich.
Semenova was admired for her beauty, deep voice and passionate way of acting. She was mentioned in the poems of Alexander Pushkin, but also talked about because of her rivalry with Marguerite Georges, who was very popular in the Russian Empire at the time.[1]
She retired in 1820, but returned in 1822 and made a great success with Phèdre in 1823. In 1826, Semenova married Prince Ivan Gagarin and afterwards only performed in private theatres.
References
- ↑ Stites, Richard (2005). Serfdom, Society, And the Arts in Imperial Russia. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300128185.
Sources
- Jennifer S. Uglow, The Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography.